Remarks by Ambassador Cui Tiankai at the CGCC Chinese Lunar New Year of Pig Gala
崔天凯大使在美国中国总商会中国农历新年晚宴上的讲话
New York, January 7th, 2019
2019年1月7日，纽约
Ladies and gentlemen.
女士们，先生们，
Let me start by paying tribute to the China General Chamber of Commerce USA for another year of hard work and achievement in an uncertain environment. The chamber, its members, Chairman Xu Chen, and others in the leadership have played an indispensable role in maintaining and facilitating economic and trade relations and people to people ties between our two great countries. In a sense, you are all distinguished ambassadors.
过去一年来，在徐辰会长领导下，美国中国总商会及全体会员面对不确定的形势，辛勤努力，取得了积极成就，我对此表示赞赏。你们为维护和促进中美两国经贸关系、拉紧人文纽带发挥了不可或缺的作用。从某种意义上说，你们都是杰出的“大使”。
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Maurice Greenburg for being honored the Goodwill Ambassador for China-US Exchanges. This is a good expression of gratitude from all of us to you, Sir. And this is also an expression of commitment by all of us to follow your good example.
我还想借此机会向莫里斯·格林伯格先生表示祝贺，祝贺您获颁“中美交流亲善大使”奖。这个奖项代表了我们对您的感谢，也表达了我们将以您为榜样的决心。
But what is even more significant is the fact that Mr. Greenburg was awarded the China Reform Friendship Medal not long ago on the occasion of celebrating the fortieth anniversary of China's reform and opening up. And he was one of the ten international personalities that were awarded. It was the most proper occasion to express the recognition and appreciation by the Chinese people and the Chinese government for your longstanding commitment to cooperation between our two countries and friendship between the two peoples. Let us all salute you again, Sir. Congratulations!
更有意义的是，不久前，在中国庆祝改革开放40周年之际，格林伯格先生还获得了中国政府颁发的改革友谊奖章，成为十位获奖国际友人之一。这正体现了中国人民和中国政府对您长期致力于增进两国友好合作和两国人民友谊的高度认可及衷心感谢。格林伯格先生，让我们再次向您致敬。祝贺您！
Forty years ago when China first launched reform and opening up, another important event took place almost at the same time, the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States. It was no coincidence that these two historic events took place at the same time. And it was no coincidence either that those who have supported China's reform and opening-up, people like Mr. Greenberg, have also contributed a great deal to the normalization and development of China-US relations. We all owe so much to these pioneers.
40年前，中国开启改革开放进程，几乎与此同时，中美两国建立了外交关系，这两个历史事件同时发生并非巧合。格林伯格先生等支持中国改革开放的人士也为中美关系正常化和稳定发展做出了重要贡献，这也绝非巧合。我们感谢这些中美关系的先驱者。
Now forty years have passed, China's reform and opening-up has been a great success story and the journey continues. China-US relationship has also been a great success story and the journey also continues.
40年写就了中国改革开放的成功故事，这一进程还在继续。40年也写就了中美关系发展的成功故事，这一进程也在继续。
As we celebrating these two important anniversaries, let me remind you that later in the year we will be celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. So as we celebrate all these important anniversaries, it is a good time for us to look forward to the coming decades and plan our work together for even greater success. Indeed, the choices we make today will help shape our common future.
除了庆祝这两个重要纪念日，今年晚些时候我们还将庆祝中华人民共和国成立70周年。这些重要时刻也是我们展望和规划未来以迈向更大成功的新的起点。事实上，我们今天的选择将会塑造共同的未来。
For China, the choice is clear.
中国的选择是明确的。
China will continue to seek people-centered development, sustainable development, and peaceful development. We will strive to meet the growing needs of our people for better life and achieve the realization of the Chinese dream. This is our goal. And this is also our inalienable right.
中国将坚持以人民为中心的发展，坚持可持续发展，坚持和平发展。我们将努力满足人民日益增长的对美好生活的向往，努力实现中国梦，这是我们的目标，也是我们不可剥夺的权利。
China will continue to carry out reform and opening-up, because this has been the key to our success so far. And this will continue to be the key to our future success and to the realization of further development and rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.
中国将继续实行改革开放，这是我们成功的制胜法宝，也是我们今后获取更大成功、实现中华民族伟大复兴的关键。
China will continue to work with the United States to build a strong and stable relationship between us. Reform and opening-up in China and the normalization and development of China-US relations have benefited both countries and the entire world. This has been proven by the history of the last four decades. So the success story is not just China's. Nor is it just America's. It is our shared success story. It's the world's success story. People normally would question failures. But anyone with good common sense would never question their own successes. History has told us that for China and the United States, cooperation benefits both countries, confrontation hurts both. Therefore, cooperation is the only right option for us.
中国将继续与美国合作，建立强劲稳定的双边关系。过去40年历史充分证明，中国改革开放、中美关系正常化及健康发展造福两国，泽被世界。所以，这不仅仅是属于中国或属于美国的成功故事，而是我们共同的故事，是属于世界的成功故事。人们通常会反省自己的失败，但任何有常识的人都不会去质疑自己的成功。历史告诉我们，对于中国和美国来说，合则两利，斗则两伤，合作是唯一正确选择。
Of course, profound changes have taken place in both countries and in the world. The world and our two countries are not the same as forty years ago. Our relations have to evolve with the time. But all this only underscores the need for closer China-US cooperation and the consequences if we fail to do so in this fast-changing world. Let me reiterate here that China remains committed to expanding our cooperation with the United States on the basis of mutual benefit, managing our differences on the basis of mutual respect, and developing a relationship with the United States based on closer coordination, more cooperation and greater stability.
当然，中美两国和世界在过去40年都发生了深刻变化。这决定了中美关系必须与时俱进。在这个瞬息万变的世界，我们更需要开展紧密合作，而不是相反。我愿在此重申，中国将继续致力于与美国在互利共赢的基础上扩大合作，在相互尊重的基础上管控分歧，发展以协调、合作、稳定为基调的双边关系。
In this context, I would like to offer a few words to the business communities of both countries.
在此，我还想对两国工商界人士说几句话。
My first suggestion is: keep the big picture in mind. The growing aspirations of our peoples for better life, the continued advancement of technology and the rise of more developing countries on the global stage, whether they are from Asia, Africa or Latin America-these are the historical trends that are transforming our world in a most profound way. These are also the historical trends that are opening up enormous opportunities for business all over the world. To go with these trends certainly serves the interests of our peoples and our countries. But it will also enable business community to make best use of the new opportunities for your own growth and rise with the historical tide.
我的第一个建议是：胸怀大局。各国人民对美好生活的愿望日益强烈，技术发展日新月异，更多的亚非拉发展中国家在全球舞台上崛起。这些历史趋势正在以极其深刻的方式改变世界，同时也为全球提供了巨大商机。顺应这一潮流符合中美两国和两国人民的利益。也只有顺应这一潮流，双方企业才能充分利用新机遇，水涨船高，实现自身发展。
My second suggestion is: remain open. There are now in some quarters of the world attempts to close the door to others and cut off ties with others. These represent a narrow-minded and shortsighted world outlook. The reality is that if people try to close the door, they're not just shutting others out, they're actually shutting themselves in. No one can have greater access to others if they themselves are raising barriers.
我的第二个建议是：保持开放。现在世界上有些地方企图关上大门，切断与外界的联系，这反映了一种狭隘和短视的世界观。事实是，如果试图关门，不仅会把别人关在门外，更会把自己锁在屋里。而且，要求别人提供准入，自己却在筑墙垒壁的做法是行不通的。
Now let me say a couple of words to the Chinese companies here today. I'm fully aware of the situation now you sometimes have to face when doors are closed on you. I fully share your concerns and your opposition to these attempts. But my advice is: never give up, never give in. The best response to such attempts is greater openness. Have confidence in openness. Have confidence in your pursuit for win-win cooperation. And for the Chinese companies, this kind of openness also means the readiness to learn, to learn from your American partners, not only in terms of technology and management skills, but also more importantly, their capacity for imagination and culture for innovation.
我也想对今天在座的中国企业说几句：我了解你们有时面临 “被”关门的遭遇，也与你们一样对此表示关切和反对。但我的建议是：不要放弃，不要屈服。最好的回应是更加开放，要对开放和互利合作保持信心。对于中国企业来说，开放也意味着要始终乐于向你们的美国伙伴学习，不仅学习他们的技术和管理，更重要的是学习他们的想象能力和创新文化。
My third suggestion to business communities of both countries is: have a clear stand on what's right and what's wrong. In order to succeed in today's world, people have to understand the interactions between politics and economics. But please never allow yourselves to be misguided by some narrowly defined "political correctness". Be clear about what you really want. Don't have the illusion that some self-claimed strategists who are actually new cold warriors can solve your problems for you. A free ride on their wagon will not take you to the right destination. Have the moral courage to say no to those advocating disrupting of international supply chain, fragmentation of the global market, decoupling of our two economies, zero-sum confrontation, and even a new cold war.
我对两国企业的第三个建议是：明辨是非。要想在当今世界取得成功，就要了解政治和经济之间是存在互动的，但请永远不要让自己被狭隘的“政治正确”所误导。要明白你们真正想要的是什么。不要幻想那些自称为战略家的人能帮你们解决问题，他们实际上是“新冷战”的鼓吹者，搭他们的便车到不了你们想去的地方。对那些主张破坏国际供应链、分裂全球市场、脱钩中美经济、鼓吹“零和”对抗甚至“新冷战”的人，要敢于说“不”。
Over a hundred years ago in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, when Japan was going through its industrialization, there was a very prominent Japanese business leader with the name Shibusawa Eiichi. He put forward some ideas about the relation between the abacus, the traditional Chinese calculating gadget, and the teachings of Confucius. Mr. Eiichi believed that a good business person should have the abacus in one hand and the teachings of Confucius in the other. His point was to strike a balance between commercial profits and moral principles, between self-interests and public goods.
在19世纪末20世纪初，也就是一百多年前的日本工业化时期，一位著名企业家涩泽荣一曾谈到算盘与儒学的关系。他认为一个好的商人应该一手拿算盘，一手拿《论语》，即要在商业利益和道德原则之间、在私利和公益之间取得平衡。
Of course, we're living in a very different world with even fiercer competition among countries. And super computers have long replaced the abacus in practice. But despite all these changes, and perhaps exactly because of all these changes, because today we're living in a world with greater capability and higher stakes, there is an even more urgent need to have a broad perspective and keep a long-term view. There is even a greater need to have a strong sense of justice and responsibility. And there is even a greater need for us to always keep in mind the real interests of our peoples. So perhaps the advice given by Mr. Eiichi is still somehow relevant. Perhaps this is something we can all think about as we start the new year.
当然，我们现在生活在一个完全不同的世界，各国竞争更加激烈，超级计算机在应用中早已取代了算盘。我们的能力更强，与我们攸关的利害关系也更多。尽管有这些变化，也许正是因为有了这些变化，我们更需要宽广的视野和长远的眼光，更需要强烈的正义感和责任感，更需要时刻牢记什么是人民的真正利益。因此，涩泽荣一先生的建议在当前或许仍有现实意义，新年伊始我们不妨对此有所思考。
Thank you very much.
谢谢大家！